Search found 114 matches

by mullinsm
23 Feb 2016, 8:07pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: New Zealand Tour
Replies: 15
Views: 2108

Re: New Zealand Tour

Well, I finished the tour last Friday and having flown back over the weekend am just getting over the jet lag. 11 days cycling took my 720 miles anti-clockwise around South Island from Christchurch via Arthurs pass to the west coast then down to Haast and inland to Lake Wanaker before heading back to Christchurch via the inland scenic highway.

There were plenty of challenging climbs, but the stunning scenery more than repaid the effort and to have two weeks cycle camping in lovely summer weather in February was a real treat. I'd highly recommend a trip there to anyone who isn't of a nervous disposition because the standard of driving there is pretty abysmal. You REALLY need to keep your wits about you. Apart from that it's cycling heaven!
by mullinsm
23 Feb 2016, 7:57pm
Forum: Cycle Camping sub-forum
Topic: Good quality tent
Replies: 60
Views: 5496

Re: Good quality tent

I"ve just completed my first tour using the new Terra Nova Voyager and I found it to be a great tent and a marked improvement on the Banshee it replaced. It takes a little longer to erect but still under 5 mins from start to finish and it packs away really easily. Plenty of room for me and all of my kit and lots of room to sit up. My only complaint is the lack of any way of keeping the outer door out of the way completely. It has a fastener for you to use one zip only, but if you want to open both zips and roll the door up to the top, there's no way of holding it there. A minor bug-bear though from an otherwise excellent tent.
by mullinsm
27 Jan 2016, 4:43pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: New Zealand Tour
Replies: 15
Views: 2108

Re: New Zealand Tour

rualexander wrote:In small town NZ, the dairy (small grocery shop) will usually sell hot pies, and often 'hot chips' as they call them over there. Cafes not so common except in tourist towns.
Charging phones in 'motor camps' (kiwi for campsite) should be no problem. Most towns will have a 'motor camp' or one nearby, although their numbers are dwindling out of the tourist areas.
DOC campgrounds are more basic and will not normally have power, and usually no showers, often just long drop toilets and a tap for water.


Thanks for that.
by mullinsm
27 Jan 2016, 9:27am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: New Zealand Tour
Replies: 15
Views: 2108

Re: New Zealand Tour

Well, I'm off from Heathrow a week on Saturday for a 28 hour flight there and 32 back. Booked with Quantas (although the first two legs are with Emirates) for £1056 return. Two weeks away will give me 11 days cycling and I've been advised by a native Kiwi to take an anti-clockwise direction from Christchurch to the west coast via Arthur's pass, then down past the glaciers and inland to Queenstown before returning to Christchurch, taking in Mt Cooke on the way. Apparently the wind direction is more likely to be with me that way. I hope so, because the first day's climbing looks like a killer!

I've a couple of unanswered questions which someone may be able to help me with:

I know that most towns will have a dairy where you can get food, but what's the availability of fast food, restaurants and cafe's like in the smaller towns and settlements?

I'll be taking a battery pack to recharge my phone, but will be relying on mains power at least every few days to recharge this. Do most campsites have sockets in the shower blocks like in Europe or should I get a solar charger?

Finally, I've got an atlas that lists all of the DOC campsites, but it seems to suggest that most don't have showers. Is this right and if so, how easy is it to find commercial sites that cater for the more fastidious amongst us?

Any answers from people who have been there and done it would be much appreciated.
by mullinsm
14 Nov 2015, 9:28am
Forum: Cycle Camping sub-forum
Topic: Trouble deciding on a tent upgrade
Replies: 85
Views: 5845

Re: Trouble deciding on a tent upgrade

Milletts have 15% off everything today. Including tents...
by mullinsm
10 Nov 2015, 11:52am
Forum: Cycle Camping sub-forum
Topic: Trouble deciding on a tent upgrade
Replies: 85
Views: 5845

Re: Trouble deciding on a tent upgrade

Regards storage for the panniers, yes, the Terra Nova has plenty of space. This was one of the "must haves" for me as I once encountered a very scary centipede that had found its way into my pannier which I'd left overnight in the porch whilst in southern France. I don't know if it was poisonous and frankly I never want to find out, so ever since everything goes onto the tent. Believe me, you could have a party in the Voyager!

As for them collapsing in high wind - If it was that windy, I'd have found the nearest B&B long ago. It looks pretty robust to me.

Milletts are currently selling them at £295 and when I got mine last week they were offering an extra 10% off everything, so £265 including delivery. You might want to keep an eye on their site.....
by mullinsm
10 Nov 2015, 8:44am
Forum: Cycle Camping sub-forum
Topic: Trouble deciding on a tent upgrade
Replies: 85
Views: 5845

Re: Trouble deciding on a tent upgrade

If it helps you at all, I've just upgraded my Vango Banshee 200, after some deliberation, to a Terra Nova Voyager. I'm really pleased with it, but despite the specs telling me it's quite a bit lighter I couldn't honestly tell the difference in terms of weight. Conclusion? Buy the tent that most suits in terms of features and price and don't sweat too much about a couple of hundred grams. Lets face it, one less cake a day whilst touring will shave more off my total weight anyway!
by mullinsm
9 Nov 2015, 7:35pm
Forum: Cycle Camping sub-forum
Topic: Good quality tent
Replies: 60
Views: 5496

Re: Good quality tent

Well the Terra Nova Voyager arrived today and my first impressions are really good. It's a lot roomier than the Banshee, with plenty of headroom and elbow room too. Lying with my feet at the door end, there's a lot more space between my face and the tent inner and it's a far less claustrophobic experience. You might actually want to spend some time in this tent apart from just sleeping in it. Also, with The Banshee there was always the risk of pushing the inner into the fly with your feet and ending up with a soggy sleeping bag, but with this there's plenty of room at both ends for a six footer.

The only negatives are that it's not noticeably lighter than the Vango and I suspect if you changed the anorexic pegs that are supplied for something that wont bend at the first suggestion of hard ground that they'd be the same. Secondly, the pitching process is slower and more cumbersome than the old tent. Three poles instead of two and pitching the inner first then covering with the fly sheet might make for some serious swearing in windy, wet conditions whereas the Vango would go up in about 2 minute with the inner and outer as one.

On the whole though I'm really pleased with it. It overcomes the problems I had with the Vango and looks like it'll last a good few years if looked after. I wouldn't want to pay £400 for one, but at the price I got it, it's fine. It does however demonstrate what great value the Banshee is.
by mullinsm
5 Nov 2015, 1:58pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Tyre recommendations
Replies: 4
Views: 962

Re: Tyre recommendations

garibeet wrote:I have a set fo Conti cyclocross speeds which are a good tyre for on/off road IME. Also have a look at the new "gravel" range of tyres by Clement, MSO and USH Explorers come in wired and folding, are very/pretty lightweight dependant on which you buy, and have been designed to work on mixed surfaces as you intend to ride. I also have a set of Marathon Mondials, in 50mm, and would not hesitate to recomend them, available in narrower sizes too.


Thanks for this, I'll give these a look.
by mullinsm
5 Nov 2015, 1:56pm
Forum: Cycle Camping sub-forum
Topic: Good quality tent
Replies: 60
Views: 5496

Re: Good quality tent

Thanks for the help and suggestions. I've gone with the Terra Nova Voyager 2 man as it looks to overcome the Vango's more serious shortcoming and is a bit lighter too. Managed to get one for £252 in the sale at Millets. Good time to buy a tent it would seem.....
by mullinsm
4 Nov 2015, 8:35am
Forum: Cycle Camping sub-forum
Topic: Good quality tent
Replies: 60
Views: 5496

Re: Good quality tent

Thanks for all the replies, some very useful things to consider already and thanks especially for pointing out that I might find the Hubba narrow after the Banshee. I had wondered about that myself.

To clarify, I'm a cyclist who uses a tent to sleep as opposed to a camper on a bike. I tend to ride for 8 hours and then find a site to pitch at before heading out to find food locally. I occasionally have to eat what I've got with me, but I don't carry any cooking equipment at all and don't spend too much time in the tent apart from sleeping. Having said all of that I need something fairly spacious as I find getting dressed and undressed in the Vango a bit of a contortionist show due to the restricted height of the tent overall. Also, having met some really nasty invertebrates by leaving my panniers in the porch overnight, I now prefer to take them into the tent with me, which is fine in the Vango.

My only significant bugbear with the Vango however is that at 6 foot I find that, because of the steep slope of the inner tent towards the ends, I'm sleeping with my face inches from it and it's a bit claustrophobic. So, Ideally I'd like a tent with more usable headroom, especially at the sleeping end, enough space to fit a sleeping mat and still have room for gear stowed inside, as easy to pitch as the Vango (it really is a breeze), at least as durable and preferably significantly lighter. Money is (almost) no object.

I may be asking for the impossible......
by mullinsm
2 Nov 2015, 1:34pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Tyre recommendations
Replies: 4
Views: 962

Tyre recommendations

I'm going to be touring New Zealand next year and may well be venturing off-road on gravel tracks. I've currently got Marathon Supreme tyres fitted but have found these to be a bit delicate on rough surfaces, having damaged one badly on a canal towpath earlier this year.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a tough touring tyre in 700 x 35 that will take more punishment but still roll nicely on the road?
by mullinsm
2 Nov 2015, 1:29pm
Forum: Cycle Camping sub-forum
Topic: Good quality tent
Replies: 60
Views: 5496

Good quality tent

I've been using a Vango Banshee 200 tent for the last 3 years and have found it to be pretty good. It only cost about £100 and it's fully weatherproof, a doddle to erect, not too heavy at around 5lbs and has plenty of room for me and my gear.

However, it's beginning to show signs of age and I'm looking at possible replacements. I would ideally like something even lighter if possible and which gives more usable height for sitting up etc. The MSR Hubba HP looks like it might fit the bill, but does anyone have any other suggestions for a good quality, lightweight tent?
by mullinsm
26 Oct 2015, 12:16pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: New Zealand Tour
Replies: 15
Views: 2108

Re: New Zealand Tour

rualexander wrote:Generally you should be able to ride most gravel roads (except perhaps after they've been graded) with that set up but Marathon Supreme sidewalls can be a bit fragile so maybe think about a tougher tyre.
Yes most NZ main roads have a good shoulder that you can ride on but it often means that traffic won't move over at all to pass you, so keep well to the left if its busy, also the shoulders disappear at bridges.
Only restricted roads are the motorways, of which there are only two or three short ones in the whole country close to the main cities, and there are plenty alternatives.
I can't comment on mobile internet as its seven years since I was last in NZ, but why not get Viewranger or something on your phone, they have the whole of the South Island at 1:50,000 topographical mapping for £15, or whole of NZ for £22 https://shop.viewranger.com/products.php?category_id=33


Thanks for this. Any recommendations for a tougher tyre that will still roll nicely?
by mullinsm
25 Oct 2015, 9:43am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: New Zealand Tour
Replies: 15
Views: 2108

Re: New Zealand Tour

Thanks for all the replies so far. I googled the holidays and the schools go back the first week of Feb, which is when I'll be starting so all good there. Yes, a return flight is currently £1089, but I may have to pay an excess baggage charge on top as it's a 30kg allowance. I'll let you know assuming Singapore airlines ever answer my email to them on the subject....

When touring I like to aim for a minimum of 100k a day and set a target about that distance away and then just see how it goes. Sometimes 65 miles is plenty and sometimes I'm having so much fun I just carry on to 80, 100, 120 depending on the terrain and weather and availability of camping. I have to confess it's all about the cycling for me, with the location just being a bonus. I'm mad I know but there a sense of achievement and thrill I get from powering an 80lb bicycle for 200k that no view or historic landmark can ever top.

I've seen that there are a lot of dedicated cycle trails on South Island which from the pictures appear to be gravel tracks. Although it's a road bike I'm riding, it's got Deore hubs, A719 rims and 35mm Marathon Supreme tyres. It can comfortably cope with canal towpaths and the like so does anyone have an informed opinion as to whether it'll be up to these New Zealand tracks and the gravel roads out there?

Also, I can see from Google that the main roads connecting the towns seem to be good single carriageways with a strip of tarmac to cycle on beyond the white lines in many places. Are there any roads with cycling restrictions and if so, will I be able to find alternative, parallel roads that I can ride on?

Finally, can anyone give me an idea what the mobile internet is like on the island as I usually navigate by Google maps and Garmin? Should I be buying a road atlas?

Thanks in advance!